Question about reading

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

I was watching something on Netflix (The War on Kids) and it was talking a little bit about killing a kids love for reading by having them read a little bit of a book and asking questions, analyzing, and not just letting kids read the book as they want to and how that kills the love for reading/learning. (Disclaimer- I THINK it was The War on Kids- I watched a bunch of similar stuff lately)

 

 

So that got me to thinking. I was going to get some lit guides (not sure how many- but a few 6? Maybe more?? Maybe less? Not sure really) for dd who will be in 5th grade to start some literary analysis with her with some reading for history. I don't want to kill her love for reading and learning though.

 

I certainly do not plan on having a lit guide for everything she reads.

 

Any thoughts on this? What do you think a good balance is?

Edited July 8, 2012 by wy_kid_wrangler04

[FLDebbie]

I've seen this happen to friends' kids when they have to analyze or summarize everything they read. To try to avoid this, my plan this year for my 3rd grader is to have him read one book per term that we'll discuss (kind of like in Deconstructing Penguins) and anything else is for his pleasure. Getting him to read is difficult enough. I can't imagine forcing him to complete worksheets or take tests on everything. What adult would want to do that?

[Homemama2]

We decided to only do one "lit. guide" per semester for 5th grade next year.. The rest of the books we are going to discuss together (and cover things like lit. analysis using Teaching the Classics and Figuratively Speaking for ideas.), but not use a bunch of lit.guides/worksheets/fill in the blank/blah, blah...)

[shann]

I would let her read the entire book and become immersed in the story and only analyze afterward. When discussing the book I would be careful to avoid correcting HER opinion and interpretation of the story. Obviously you want to guide her to see the deeper aspects of the story but don't allow the lit guide to dismiss her perspective. I think this is what kills a love of reading and discussion, being told that ones feelings about the story are wrong.

[craftyerin]

I taught 3rd at a Classical/CM school (pre-DH and kids) and we were always warned not to "kill the book". We rarely used lit guides, but instead held class discussions, took narrations, etc. I loved the way lit went with my classes, who (on the whole) loved to read and to learn. I think I'll lean the same way when my kids get old enough.

[Farrar]

I think your plan sounds fine.

 

I think having kids read only excerpts is probably bad. Having kids answer questions or do assignments about every single thing is probably bad. Asking dull questions is probably bad. Pushing kids to read only a certain sort of book or books they're not ready for is probably bad.

 

I also think it's probably good to have more conversations about books than school assignments, at least before high school. In other words, to talk about a character, a plot, what you liked and didn't, what you would have done in that situation, whether you identified with a character, how it was like other books or movies, etc. etc. just in a casual way as you ride in the car, eat lunch, and so forth. I think being able to have that kind of "book club" conversation can be more valuable than being able to write a paper - which is obviously valuable too, but I think too much of it can kill a love of reading and you can never have enough casual conversations about literature.

[kclopez]

For some of our books, I like sprinkling in some of the graphic organizers (KWL chart for prereading a non-fiction or biography, a compare/contrast diagram for characters, sketch a scene, making predictions, etc) during a book study. Drawn into the Heart of Reading is a good place to start but there are free ideas on the internet. We also like to end a book study with a project - usually just takes a day or two. This beats the study question format but it does allow the student to think about what he/she is reading.

[Coffeemama]

I plan to use 3 lit guides (spread thoughout the year) with my rising 4th grader and maybe 2 with my 6th grader. She is using History Odyssey which includes lit and doing the Narnia theme book through IEW, so I don't want it to be overkill with her. I also have Figuratively Speaking, to teach literary elements more in isolation. I really need to figure out how I will incorporate that into our week. Soooo many resources, so little time!:tongue_smilie:

[heritagelearningacademy]

my oldest will be doing a couple lit guides this year (7th grade). But, he also has free reading and he devours things. So, I figure a balance is good.

[wy_kid_wrangler04]

 

I also think it's probably good to have more conversations about books than school assignments, at least before high school. In other words, to talk about a character, a plot, what you liked and didn't, what you would have done in that situation, whether you identified with a character, how it was like other books or movies, etc. etc. just in a casual way as you ride in the car, eat lunch, and so forth. I think being able to have that kind of "book club" conversation can be more valuable than being able to write a paper - which is obviously valuable too, but I think too much of it can kill a love of reading and you can never have enough casual conversations about literature.

 

 

We do have conversations about book but probably not as many as we should. I think I will really ramp that up this year! (but in a casual way, like you said)

 

So if we did a lit guide for just the major books for ancients (Maybe the Childrens Homer, Beowulf, etc) would be enough but not overkill?

[MerryAtHope]

Yeah, I'm not big into lit. guides. Instead I prefer to just talk about the book. They tell me what they are reading, what's happening (plot), what they enjoy, what they think of characters. I might ask questions--what do they think a character will do next? Why did a character do xyz?

 

When I do lit. analysis, I do it at the end: Why did the author title the book Wolves of Willoughby Chase when the wolves only play a minor role? (Suddenly the kids understand symbolism...)

 

Or I might choose a piece of copywork for a beautiful metaphor, or for vividly descriptive language that appeals to the senses.

 

What was the most exciting point of the story (now we're talking climax)?

 

Who was the conflict between? (man and man, man and nature, man and himself...)

 

Why do you think the author wrote this book? (theme).

 

We don't discuss every book, and we don't discuss more than one or two of these things for any one book--I like to take the thing an author does best and just discuss that, rather than look for multiple literary tools in just one book and make a child feel like they can't just enjoy a book.

 

I prefer to marvel at an author's mastery as I read aloud--to me that's the real reason to do literary analysis--to enjoy the artfulness of the work. To revel in it. Not to dissect a piece until you almost wish you hadn't read it. That deeper level of dissection might be appropriate occasionally in high school, more often in college, but before then--focus on enjoying the work, and pointing out one reason why we especially enjoy it. Maybe it's character development. A suspenseful plot. A meaningful theme. Beautiful language that creates pictures in the mind. Thoughts worth pondering. Characters worth emulating. A climax at which you just can't stop reading. Marvel together, enjoy, and move on.

 

Occasionally I do take a day or two to have a more directed discussion or to have them think through questions (like when we read Sing Down the Moon, and I asked them to discover Bright Morning's secret name and why it was her name, how it fit her.)

 

I think as long as you relish the reading and analyse with that perspective in mind, you are probably fine. My favorite resource in showing how to do this is Deconstructing Penguins.

 

I like to either make up my own questions, or use free online guides (Glencoe has great ones) but pick & choose the questions.

[MinivanMom]

I would let her read the entire book and become immersed in the story and only analyze afterward. When discussing the book I would be careful to avoid correcting HER opinion and interpretation of the story. Obviously you want to guide her to see the deeper aspects of the story but don't allow the lit guide to dismiss her perspective. I think this is what kills a love of reading and discussion, being told that ones feelings about the story are wrong.

 

:iagree:

 

Whenever I hear people tell horror stories about a teacher destroying their love of reading, it always involves being forced to pick the book apart as they s.l.o.w.l.y. read through it . . . or . . . being told that their feelings or interpretations are wrong. Literary analysis itself isn't going to destroy a love of reading; it's how the analysis is done.

[jenangelcat]

Like others said, balance is key.

 

I've always been an avid reader so nothing could really kill that but I can totally see how it could be in less interested students. I hated highschool English because of all the analyzing.